Transformative pedagogies: Recognizing and responding to the elements of developmental contexts Mona M. Abo-Zena, Ph.D. Brown University IAFOR North American.

Transformative pedagogies: Recognizing and responding to the elements of developmental

contexts

Mona M. Abo-Zena, Ph.D.Brown University

IAFOR North American Conference on Education & IAFOR North American Conference on Education & IAFOR North American Conference on Psychology and IAFOR North American Conference on Psychology and

the Behavioral Sciences 2014the Behavioral Sciences 2014

Providence, Rhode IslandProvidence, Rhode Island

““Half the curriculum walks in the Half the curriculum walks in the room with the students, in the room with the students, in the textbooks of their lives” (Style, textbooks of their lives” (Style,

1982, 2014).1982, 2014).

Purpose?Purpose?

What is the purpose of What is the purpose of education?education?

What are the universal ends of What are the universal ends of education, and what are the education, and what are the specific ends?specific ends?

What “counts” as education? What “counts” as education?

What do you think?What do you think?

When and how do you think young When and how do you think young children should be first introduced to children should be first introduced to using sharp objects, such as scissors? using sharp objects, such as scissors? Why?Why?

(Rogoff, 2003)

Theoretical lens / lensesTheoretical lens / lenses

Critical lens grounded in developmental Critical lens grounded in developmental psychology socio-cultural lens and drawing from psychology socio-cultural lens and drawing from sociology and anthropology helps us to study sociology and anthropology helps us to study human development and education within a human development and education within a community setting and broader cultural contexts. community setting and broader cultural contexts.

–Recognize the dynamic, complex, and differential Recognize the dynamic, complex, and differential relationships between cultural and community features relationships between cultural and community features and how they change over time. and how they change over time.

–Develop intervention skills and perspectives that Develop intervention skills and perspectives that contribute to providing quality services to a diverse contribute to providing quality services to a diverse population in applied settings.population in applied settings.

Culture as the Culture as the ““medium of developmentmedium of development””

Individual development assituated in the settings, activities,

practices, meaning systems, artifactsthat constitute the “medium of

culture”

Development as Development as related to culturerelated to culture

Individual Development

Social addressSES, Ethnicity,

Region, Heritage

(Varied cultural contexts

And values)Individual

participation (in

context)

Variation indevelopmenta

l outcomes

EvaluationEvaluation

How do we measure knowledge? How do we measure knowledge? Learning? Achievement?Learning? Achievement?

How do we characterize an educated How do we characterize an educated person? is the purpose of person? is the purpose of education?education?

What educational processes do we What educational processes do we promote to fulfill these promote to fulfill these developmental ends?developmental ends?

(In) Coherence: (In) Coherence: Values, practices, outcomesValues, practices, outcomes

Costs of educationCosts of education

Separation from parentsSeparation from parents““Your parents must be proud of you…irony: I Your parents must be proud of you…irony: I

was not proud of my mother and father.was not proud of my mother and father.”” (in Suárez-Orozco & Suárez-Orozco 2001, (in Suárez-Orozco & Suárez-Orozco 2001, p. 105) p. 105)

Marginalization from communityMarginalization from community– Alienation because of isolated Alienation because of isolated ““successsuccess””

and physical or social class separationand physical or social class separation– Feelings of cultural lossFeelings of cultural loss

Perpetuation of Perpetuation of inequalityinequality

Consequences of internalizing the Consequences of internalizing the gender lenses is that gender lenses is that ““whereas whereas before, the individual had been before, the individual had been nothing more than a carrier of the nothing more than a carrier of the cultureculture’’s gender polarization, now s gender polarization, now the individual is a deeply implicated-the individual is a deeply implicated-if unwitting-collaborator in the social if unwitting-collaborator in the social reproduction of male power.reproduction of male power.”” (Bem, (Bem, p. 139) p. 139)